ABBY
SAUNDERS E-mail: abinamini@yahoo.com
Abby Saunders is a professional Screen, Television, Media, Theatre Actress
and Writer. Well known in the
Hi everyone,
If you don’t, (or can’t, for work or family reasons),
paint your own nails, how can you have a constant supply of ready made painted
– in different colors to match your outfits.
Easy ………… just follow these basic steps, just the
thing to do on a rainy day and
Now I don’t know where you live, in the
From your local DIY buy a ½” or ¾” round wooden dowel
road, they are usually in 48” lengths around £1.50 a piece and a roll of ½”
Scotch double sided mounting - this is
2.08 yards long and will cost you about £1.25
From Walmart (in the
MATERIALS PHOTOGRAPHS.
48”ROD USED FOR DIFFERENT COLORS ROLL OF DOUBLE SIDED TAPE BOX OF 100 UNPAINTED NAILS 100 PACK OF PRESS ON TABS TABS
Generally a pack will provide around 6 (10 nails in a
set or 15 if you want spares) sets so you can decide how many of each color you
want to paint plus whether or not you want to paint some extra in each color
for spares
Now, fix the double sided adhesive tape to the rod
leaving the protective tape on the upper side for the moment. (You can apply directly onto your nails with
nail glue if preferred).
Page
2 – Abby’s painted nails
Unpack all the nails from the box and select the
sizes that will fit your fingers, discard the ones that will not – there are
always some that won’t in each box.
With a fine nail board remove the injection molding
tip from any nails that have it at the top, not all will have this tip but you
need to remove it before painting and apart from looking awful it will play
h*ll with your hose, <giggle>!
Now remove the upper protective green tape from the
tape you fastened to the dowel rod exposing the upper sticky surface.
Firmly, but not with too much pressure or you may crack the nails, press the
unpainted nails onto the sticky surface leaving about ¼” between each nail. I
group the nails in each size down the rod length. The ¼” gap between them
allows me to change colors without smudging onto the next different color.
OK? Great, now to paint.
I prefer starting with a color and make two sets,
that is 2 nails in each size to fit all my fingers (thumbs included, for those that expect me to be description correct LOL),
– 20 nails in all. Sometimes when I am out, I will lose a nail, so, I add to
the 20 another set in each size, (5), that makes 25 nails of a favorite color.
These extra nails are my first aid emergency pack I carry with me in my handbag
when I am out and about, if I lose one I dash into the ladies for repairs!
Then change to another color and repeat the process.
Even with the “spares” You should get something like
4 full sets out of a box, if your fingers are small you may well get more or at
least some of the sizes depending on the box content.
Always paint with the rod slightly elevated at
one end, this allows the nail varnish to “flow” evenly and makes for a better
finish as well as easier handling. Rotate the rod as you paint so that you can
see that each side edge is fully painted.
Above all, please take your time, this I not the same as painting the garage door, however it is easy to do and the results well worth while.
You should end up with a row of different colored
nails to match your outfits, although when I am in a show I get a set of new
nails glued and sculptured to my own and painted. I use these “stick on” nails
that I regularly manufacture for non stage use, actually few people have any
idea they are not mine. When taking them off, remove the glue residue and
carefully store away until you need that color again.
An inexpensive accessory with which you will always
look good as they provide you with the finishing touch. Good luck, enjoy your
new colors! Take care of yourselves, Abby